To transmit short communications, in particular so-called short messages, a data service has been created in GSM(Global System for Mobile Communication)—based mobile telephone networks, which has become known under the abbreviation SMS (Short Message System). This data service has the function of transmitting short messages limited to 160 alphanumeric characters between mobile phones (cell phones) or terminals in a quick and inexpensive manner. Besides the sending of texts it is also possible to send images or sounds by SMS Accordingly, it is differentiated between textual and binary short messages. Longer documents for the transmission of which 160 characters are not sufficient can be sent via so-called segmented short messages, i.e. individual short messages which can be interlinked. The limiting to 160 characters per SMS is dictated by the technology of the terminals, e.g. mobile phones.
To transmit short messages between mobile phones, the desired short message is entered via the keyboard of a mobile phone and sent. When the message has arrived at the Short Message Service Center (SMSC) of the respective mobile phone network provider, it is stored there. The Short Message Service Center (SMSC) then tries to forward the short message to the recipient by sending a sending information, the so-called Send Routing Information (SRI), to a register containing information regarding the addresses of the participants, the so-called Home Location Register (HLR). By way of the recipient number, the recipient can be localized in the HLR. The HLR replies to the Short Message Service Center (SMSC) with an information, and the Short Message Service Center (SMSC) sends this information together with the short message to the respective switching unit, the so-called Mobile Switching Center (MSC) which searches for the participant or for the respective base station in the cell in which the participant is at present and sends the short message to this base station. Transmission within the mobile phone network commonly occurs according to the so-called SS7(Signaling System No. 7)-protocol.
Such a transmission of short messages within a telecommunication network is disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,222 A. Also U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,509 A describes a short message service for mobile telecommunication networks. From WO 98/02005 A1, a method for transmitting short messages in a digital telecommunication system is known which can do without any special SMS-interfaces and thus also ensures a simple an inexpensive set-up.
Moreover, it is common to transmit short messages from data networks, such as, e.g., the Internet, to mobile terminals. In this instance, the short message will be entered via the keyboard of a computer, and transmitted via the data network, e.g. the Internet, to a corresponding converter, a so-called gateway. From the gateway, the short message will be forwarded via a certain protocol to the Short Message Service Center (SMSC) of the respective telecommunication network. For the exchange of the short messages between the data network and the telecommunication network, usually one of the three following protocols will be used:
1) Short Message Peer-to-Peer Protocol (SMPP)
2) Universal Communication Protocol (UCP)
3) Computer Interface for Message Distribution (CIMD).
All these known protocols are suitable for connecting one user server with the Short Message Service Center of a telecommunication network. However, service providers of data networks, e.g., the Internet, which operate the links to the Short Message Service Centers of more than one telecommunication network provider, are faced with problems: thus, the service providers must support all protocols, since depending on the telecommunication network provider, different protocols can be used. Furthermore, there is no uniform format for the short messages which could be used for administering, storing and transmitting the latter via data networks externally of the telecommunciation networks. As a remedy, the service providers must develop and implement internal short message formats which differ from the data formats according to the above-mentioned three protocols.
To transmit short messages from mobile terminals to data networks, a data line between the Short Message Service Center of the telecommunication network provider and the respective data network is necessary. This, however, confronts the service provider of the data network with enormous costs for renting appropriate, often international, data connections.
WO 00/36854 A1 discloses a method for transmitting short messages to analog terminals, with a corresponding conversion of the digital contents of the short message into analog signals, e.g. into sound signals. In this manner, the transmission of short messages from mobile phones to analog fax machines, e.g., is enabled.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,078,820 A as well as U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,281 A describe further methods of transmitting news in telecommunication systems, requiring, however, a direct connection between the Short Message Service Center of the mobile phone network provider and the respective server of the data network, e.g. the Internet, via a fixed line.
WO 99/20062 A1 describes a method for transmitting SMS-messages between a short message site and mobile terminals, wherein the short message is converted into a data format comprised of a header part and a useful part, with different data fields, among them also a data field for identifying the sender, being provided in the header part.
EP 0 777 394 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,529 A and WO 97/20442 A1 describe methods for transmitting SMS messages via the Internet, wherein, e.g., an e-mail is converted into an SMS-message and transmitted to a mobile recipient within a mobile telephone network, or an SMS is converted into a fax or an e-mail.
Finally, EP 0 954 146 A2 shows a method for transmittiiw data via the Internet to a mobile terminal, with conventional data formats, so-called PDUs (Protocol Data Units) being used.